Family and Cosmetic DentistryAppointments: (707) 544-6280

Michael Hamblin D.D.S.

Family and Cosmetic Dentistry

With oral conscious sedation, Santa Rosa area sedation dentist Michael Hamblin, D.D.S. is medically able to attend to your dental needs for a longer period of time. This means you can combine all or many of your dental appointments into one. If you are in need of extensive dental work or multiple treatments are necessary, oral sedation dentistry may be the most efficient and hassle-free option for you to consider.

If you suffer from dental anxiety in the Santa Rosa area, Dr. Hamblin can help. We offer several options that can make your dental treatments pleasant and stress-free. Our team at Family and Cosmetic Dentistry is trained to help you feel comfortable. You'll be able to feel relaxed while receiving the friendly, professional oral care you deserve.

Santa Rosa area Invisalign® dentist Michael Hamblin, D.D.S. is happy to provide your new clear braces. At Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we want you to have the straight teeth and beautiful smile you desire.

We're happy to assess your needs create your individual treatment plan for braces. You may be able to have your new Invisalign® aligners sooner than you think!

We accept most insurance carriers. Please check with us prior to your appointment, but it's safe to say we likely accept the type of insurance you carry.

Santa Rosa area dentist Dr. Michael Hamblin and his knowledgeable staff can help answer any of your insurance questions. At Family and Cosmetic Dentistry we aim to maximize your insurance benefits and make any remaining balance easily affordable.

For your comfort and convenience, Michael Hamblin, D.D.S., may suggest you relax with nitrous oxide (laughing gas) during certain treatments. Offering root canal at his practice in the Santa Rosa, CA area, Dr. Hamblin offers a range of options to help you feel comfortable at the dentist.

Montclair Dental CareAppointments: (510) 339-2792

Kenneth Childers D.D.S.

Montclair Dental Care

For comfortable dental hygiene treatment in the Oakland, California area, Dr. Kenneth Childers is known for having a gentle touch. The friendly team at Montclair Dental Care provides teeth cleaning for a whiter smile.

Maintaining good dental hygiene is the foundation for healthy teeth and gums. We're committed to helping you have a lifetime of oral health.

Trusted Oakland area TMJ/TMD dentist Dr. Kenneth Childers can help you live pain-free again. If your life is disrupted by head, neck or facial pain, we can evaluate you for temporomandibular joint disorder, and provide treatment for the underlying jaw and joint problems.

Let our team of highly skilled professionals provide treatment that brings relief from the pain. There's no need to suffer any longer.

Experienced Oakland area root canal dentist Kenneth Childers, D.D.S. will provide you with excellent care. We'll make sure that you're comfortable during and after your procedure.

Our highly trained team will answer any questions you have. Our goal is to provide you with quality, pain-free treatment for your long term dental health.

Would you like your smile to be a bit brighter than it is right now? We can make it happen at Montclair Dental Care, with professional tooth whitening for brighter natural looking teeth. Dr. Kenneth Childers's Oakland, CA area office can effectively lighten your stained or discolored tooth enamel. Whiter teeth not only look great, they improve your self-confidence.

For comfortable tooth cleaning in the Oakland, California area, Dr. Kenneth Childers is known for having a gentle touch. The friendly team at Montclair Dental Care provides dental hygiene treatments for a whiter smile.

Maintaining good dental hygiene is the foundation for healthy teeth and gums. We're committed to helping you have a lifetime of oral health.

Toothache - Why Won't My Tooth Pain Go Away?

There are many causes of toothache and pain in the area of the mouth. When experiencing tooth pain and/or swelling, it is important to see your dentist to have the area evaluated. The pain and/or swelling is most often related to a disease process that originates within a particular tooth.

The pulpal tissue within the tooth can be irritated by bacteria, external traumatic events, repetitive or extensive dental procedures, or even periodontal disease which can lead to a toothache. When this irritation occurs, the pulpal tissue reacts by becoming inflamed. Since the pulpal tissues and the tissues supporting the tooth have a rich supply of nerve fibers, the inflammatory process can cause pain as these nerve pathways are stimulated. Additionally, the pulp tissue is encased inside tooth structure and it cannot swell and expand in reaction to injury like tissues in other areas of the body. When the injured pulp tissue attempts to swell within the confined root canal space, the pressure buildup can cause a significant toothache.

Pain originating from the dental pulp can be either "spontaneous" or "elicited." Spontaneous pain occurs without an identifiable stimulus, whereas elicited pain occurs only in specific situations. Elicited pain requires a specific stimulus such as drinking cold or hot fluids or biting on the tooth.

As is typical anywhere in the body, the initial stages of a disease process do not always cause symptoms. Millions of teeth have irreversible pulpal disease yet the patients have no clinical symptoms. Most of these situations will become evident when the dentist obtains a thorough history, does a clinical examination, performs specific tooth tests, and takes a series of well-angulated radiographs. It is important to note that pulpal disease can refer pain to other areas within the head and neck.

If the results of the endodontic examination indicate that root canal disease is not the source of the patient's symptoms, then the dentist must consider other possibilities. When attempting to identify the source or cause of facial pain and/or swelling, the dentist must consider that the symptoms could actually originate in a tooth (endodontic disease), the gum tissues (periodontal disease), the muscles (myofacial pain), the joints (TMJ), the sinuses (sinusitis), or even the surrounding vascular (blood vessels) or nerve tissues. Tooth pain requires an accurate diagnosis so that the proper treatment can be recommended. At times, various medical and dental specialists may need to be consulted before an accurate diagnosis can be determined.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

An Endodontist Explains "What Is A Root Canal"?

We use our teeth so much during the day that we often forget how complex they are, that is, until we feel pain. Underneath each tooth is a soft tissue area, called the pulp, that carries nerves, veins, arteries, and lymph vessels. These are all channels of connection between our teeth and the rest of our bodies. These connections run from the top of the tooth down to its root by way of a root canal. Each tooth has at least one root canal, but may have as many as four or five, depending on the number of roots below that tooth.

How Do Root Canal Problems Occur?

When a tooth is cracked or has a deep cavity, saliva and the bacteria in it can get to the tooth pulp. An infection is likely to result and, without root canal treatment by endodontist, the pulp will die. The infection may cause pus to gather at the tip of the root, creating an abscess that can attack the bone. The abscess must be cleaned up to prevent deterioration, and the damaged tooth pulp must be removed by a root canal dentist.

Problems That Cause Root Canal Pain

When the pulp is damaged or dead, pressure is created inside the tooth. That pressure creates pain when you bite down on the tooth, chew on it, or when it feels the heat or cold of food and drinks.

Saving the Tooth with a Root Canal

Repairing the root canal is the way to save the entire tooth. The other alternative is to pull the tooth entirely. However, leaving that space empty may create other problems, like making chewing and biting more difficult. Teeth may also shift their position if missing teeth are not there to hold the space. If you decide to have the dentist pull the tooth and replace it with a denture or bridge, the cost will be significantly more than the cost of a root canal procedure.

What Is Root Canal Therapy and How Is It Performed?

To prevent further damage, ease any discomfort, and save the tooth, your dentist or endodontist (a dentist specializing in treating the tooth pulp) will perform a root canal procedure. Without endodontics therapy, tooth loss will occur. This therapy requires one or more dental visits to complete, depending on the extent of the infection.

Endodontists will first administer medication to make sure you will be comfortable. An opening is made in the top of your tooth and the diseased pulp removed. The root canal will be thoroughly cleaned and enlarged so it can be filled with a material that prevents bacteria from re-entering. Your tooth will not be permanently sealed until the infection has cleared. When the root canal is filled and the infection is gone, your tooth may need to be covered with a crown that will look and function just like your original tooth.

Root canal therapy is a tooth-saver. It has a very high rate of success (more than 90%)! To follow up, your dentist or endodontist will make sure that the root canal is intact and that the infection has cleared.

Endodontists recognize that root canal therapy has an image problem. Part of this is due to the type of treatment available more than a half-century ago when local anesthetics weren't as effective. It was also before the advent of antibiotics used to control the infection and pain associated with it. Research and technology now offer your endodontist valuable ways to reduce patient pain and anxiety during the root canal procedure. Probably, the greatest factor contributing to this negative perception is that people wait until they are in pain before seeking treatment. Obviously, regular visits are an important preventive measure.

With modern therapy, root canal treatment can be approached with confidence -- getting to the root of the problem, but without the pain.